ERIC BRASHEAR

SHOOT LAS VEGAS

“I know what you’re thinking — ‘Did he fire six shots or only five?’ Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself. But, being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: “Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”

“Dirty Harry” Callahan (Clint Eastwood) uttered one of the most famous movie lines in history as he aimed the monster Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver at the punk. The handgun is still popular today is considered the most famous firearm in cinema. Firearms used in the movies have made an impact on our minds, like the famous toll booth scene in The Godfather, where Sonny Corleone (James Caan) is gunned down by several Tommy guns, or like Tony Montana (Al Pacino) in Scarface shouting: “Say hello to my little friend!” as he brandishes his M16 with the M203 grenade launcher. The Uzi, the Beretta 92’s, and the Glocks, made famous in movies throughout the world, have made us inquisitive about how it feels to hold and actually shoot that kind of powerful gun.

Thanks to Eric Brashear and his company, Shoot Las Vegas, you can now have that “live out your dreams” shooting experience. He has created two custom-built, climate-controlled firing lines (which is nice in both the hot summer and cold winter) on their 100-acre outdoor range, where you can choose from 70 of the most famous guns used throughout history: the guns shot in movies,TV shows and video games. With what Brashear calls a “Disneyland-esque approach” to the shooting range, guests move from the full-auto station to the handgun station, rifle station, then sniper. Steel targets are placed at varying distances all the way out to 500 yards so you can hear that “ping” when you hit your target. There are even exploding targets on the ground to pick off with your Sniper rifle. Shooting from a helicopter is the latest in an arsenal of adventure offered by Shoot Las Vegas. You can even blow up a car as the cherry on top to this adrenaline experience. They use photobooth technology for taking close-up photos or videos of every gun you experienced that day. The videos and stills are taken from the firing line while you shoot, creating an instantaneous memory keepsake that you can download free of charge after your shoot.

After spending 10 successful years in the special event and arcade game business with his company AGR (Amusement Game Rentals), Eric Brashear decided to use his expertise from corporate events (like bringing in mechanical bulls to casinos) to an adrenaline action-packed tourist attraction. And he must be doing something right, as Shoot Las Vegas was recently ranked no. 1 on the “Top Ten Shooting Ranges in Las Vegas” by US Blasting News. “It’s really special events meets shooting,” says Brashear, “and there’s nothing else like it in town.”